Predator and prey: Expand your season by chasing coyotes, bobcats

Predator hunting in North America has a long and storied past. Early settlers first hunted predators to protect their livestock and supply furs for clothing.

Today, the same applies, but sport has become a motivating factor in the growing popularity of predator hunting. Matching wits with the slyest, most cunning creatures in the forest is, for most hunters, a rewarding experience.

Brandon Butler

Predator hunting in North America has a long and storied past. Early settlers first hunted predators to protect their livestock and supply furs for clothing.

Today, the same applies, but sport has become a motivating factor in the growing popularity of predator hunting. Matching wits with the slyest, most cunning creatures in the forest is, for most hunters, a rewarding experience.

Game

Predators hunted in North America today include wolves, coyotes, foxes, bobcats, mountain lions and bears. Coyotes, foxes and bobcats are found across the U.S., as well as in portions of Canada and Mexico. Black bears, brown bears, grizzly bears, wolves and mountain lions live in scattered regions across the continent.

Species such as coyote and bobcat are readily available to hunters with liberal seasons and license laws, while others, like grizzly bears and wolves, require much effort and cost to pursue.

It’s been said that, if nuclear war ever broke out, coyotes would be the last remaining species on Earth. True or not, what is factual is the coyote’s ability to thrive in nearly any environment, under nearly any set of circumstances. Living as far north as Alaska and as far south as Panama, in Montana’s Missouri Breaks and New York City’s Central Park, coyotes can survive in heat, cold, extreme wilderness and urban jungles.

Bobcats, also found coast to coast and in portions of Canada and Mexico, tend to remain in more wilderness environments. Therefore, huntable populations of predators should exist on the same properties you frequent for hunting other game.

Tactics

The most common tactic for hunting coyotes and bobcats is attempting to lure them into range with a call designed to mimic an animal in distress. Believing your call to be a wounded or lost animal, predators think they’ve stumbled upon an easy meal. If all goes as planned, the predator will work itself into your effective range, where you’ll then turn predator to prey.

There are two common styles of calls for predator hunting ­-- electronic and mouth calls. Electronic calls project a lifelike recording of actual animal vocalizations. Mouth calls rely on the hunters to produce such calls themselves. Both, when used properly, work well for enticing predators into range.

Decoys are often used in conjunction with calls to further fool an incoming predator. Once a coyote or bobcat has responded to a call, the chances of it coming close enough for a shot improves when it spots your decoy, believing it has located a meal. Decoys also help because they keep the predator’s attention focused on the decoy rather than searching for the source of the call.

Equipment

Rifles and shotguns are the most common weapons used for predator hunting. For rifles, .22-250 and .223 are common coyote and bobcat calibers. As acceptance of AR-15-style modern sporting rifles continues to grow among hunters, these rifles chambered in .223 topped with a high-quality scope are fast becoming the predator-hunting weapon of choice. Shotguns, most often 12 or 20 gauges, loaded with buckshot are used for close encounters. Many predator hunters will carry a rifle and a shot into the field.

Quality camouflage that matches the surroundings you’ll be hunting is a must when chasing predators. Remember, these animals must hunt to stay alive. Their senses are keen. Try to blend yourself into your surroundings.

Additional beneficial equipment includes high-quality binoculars, a seat cushion, shooting sticks or a bipod, a sharp knife and brush trimmers.

How to get started

Predator hunting is a challenging and rewarding opportunity to test your skills against the most demanding animals in the woods. Seasons often run at off times of the year, expanding one’s timeframe for being outdoors.

Check with your local game and fish department to learn more about predator hunting in your state. Good places to start online include coyotehunting.com and your state’s Department of Natural Resources site.